A tanker has been struck by two projectiles in the northern Arabian Gulf, extending the latest merchant-shipping attacks beyond the Strait of Hormuz. A separate vessel was reportedly hit inside the Strait hours earlier.
1. Tanker struck east of Ras Al Khafji in northern Arabian Gulf
• UKMTO Warning 192-26, issued November 2, records an attack at 23:47 UTC on November 1, approximately 72 nautical miles east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia.
• The tanker was travelling southeast through the Arabian Gulf when two unidentified projectiles struck its port side, according to information reported by the Master.
• UKMTO confirmed that all crew members were accounted for and no environmental impact had been reported when the warning was issued.
• The vessel’s name, IMO number, flag, cargo, ownership and damage assessment have not been publicly established in the warning. No attacker or weapon type has been identified.
• The location places this incident in the northern Arabian Gulf, separate from the recent attacks around the Hormuz transit lanes. UKMTO has advised vessels to transit with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate.
2. Separate Hormuz strike: Offshore tug reportedly damaged
• UKMTO Warning 191-26 records a separate incident at 15:09 UTC on November 1 within the Strait of Hormuz.
• The Master of a passing merchant vessel relayed a Mayday call received on VHF Channel 16, reporting that another vessel had been struck by an unidentified projectile.
• Maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech subsequently identified the affected vessel as SELAT STORM, an offshore tug/supply vessel. Registry records identify SELAT STORM as Panama-flagged, IMO 9266657, approximately 1,382 dwt.
• The Maritime Executive reported, citing Vanguard Tech, that the tug was partially sinking. UKMTO has not independently identified the casualty or confirmed that damage assessment.
• The crew’s condition, extent of damage and responsibility for the attack remain unconfirmed in the publicly available official warning.
3. VLCC freight rebounds while Asian oil supply remains disrupted
• The Baltic Exchange’s October 30 tanker report showed the TD3C Middle East Gulf–China VLCC assessment rising 48 Worldscale points during the week to WS1262.5.
• The corresponding standard-vessel round-trip time-charter equivalent reached $1,345,710 per day. This is an assessed benchmark, not a verified individual fixture or guaranteed vessel earning.
• The Gulf of Oman–China TD34 route rose 89 points to WS659.29, representing an assessed round-trip TCE of $699,257 per day.
• West Africa–China TD15 reached WS633.75, while the US Gulf–China TD22 voyage assessment approached $61.5 million.
• Separately, Reuters reported on November 2 that Asian crude imports recovered to 26.39 million barrels per day in October, approaching pre-war volumes. Refined-fuel imports remained approximately 10% below their pre-conflict average, maintaining pressure on product supply.
4. Chile’s San Antonio port faces continuing landside restrictions
• Chile’s Port of San Antonio is experiencing disruptions to container movements following partial blockades of access to its logistics and industrial areas.
• The restrictions began on the night of October 28. Chile’s Maritime and Port Chamber, Camport, confirmed delays affecting both export and import operations.
• Container loading has been affected at the beginning of Chile’s fruit-export season. Camport also reported disruption to vessel servicing windows, inland cargo movements and the availability of logistics services.
• Splash247 reported on November 2 that negotiations between transport representatives and companies were scheduled to resume that day. The dispute centres on higher road-haulage rates sought by transport operators.
• The disruption concerns landside access and container logistics. A complete closure of the port’s navigational approaches or marine terminals has not been established.
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Sources
UK Maritime Trade Operations, The Maritime Executive, Baltic Exchange, Reuters, Camport
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
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